Disk spring governor



June 4, 1935. J. o. ALMEYN DISK SPRING GOVERNOR Filed Feb. 21, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W s m A 75 r 2 0/? Qfl lzgm June 4, 1935.

J. O. ALMEN DI SK SPRING GOVERNOR 2 Shets-Sheet 2 v Filed Feb. 21, 1934 ak/z 0. llzzzelz Patented June '4, '1935 UNITE STATES man a oovnasoa John 0. Almen, Royal-Oak, Mich. or to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware tion mm 21.1934, Serial No. 712,308

11 Claim. (iear-1s This-invention relates-to a centrlfugally-operated controlling m, and has been designed for use as a centrifugal governor for controlling the driving ratio of an infinitely variable I change speed -w m for a motor vehicle.

Among the objects to be at by the governor mechanism of this invention are: simplicity "and compactness, economy in manufacture and forms.

Inl'ig. lisillustrated acasing'orhousingll. At 23, 2! are shown two gears which represent a portion of a forward and reverse gear transmission which is intended totransmit rotation to gear 23 ina directionthesameas orthereverse of an engine driven shaft. not shown. No novelty is herein claimed for this gear Gear is drives a tubular shaft 21 extending through a partition ll separating the forw'ard and reverse 'geartransmissionfromthechangespeedmech- Tubular shaft 21 maybe considered as the input shaft ofthechangespeedon. n At 20 is the coaxial output shaft which is, of course, to be coupled directly or indirectly to thevehicle drive wheels. To a radial flange 82 on the input shaft issecuredasecondradialilangefl fromwhich extendsanaxialflangeorbarrelll. Theaxial flange is to be coupled to a-driving-race. not shown, which driving race frictionaily engages rollers such as. for rotating a driven race :1.

keyed or otherwise secured to flange '3! on the output shaft 2!. Change speed mec or thiskind are known and since this invention is not concerned with the details of such a mechanism no further description is It should be noted, however. that the changes in speedarebroughtabmitbyatiltingoftherollers u and'to eflectllich tilting'thereis shown alever service, a reduction in internal friction, e ualizali pivoted at to the partition 30. A link 45 is pivoted to the lever and is connected by suitable means, not shown, with the roller support to change the position of the roller and therefore change the driving ratio. This invention is not 5 concerned with the roller support nor with the kind of connections between the lever it and the roller support. The invention relates to the governor by which the lever Ii is rotated to change theroller axis.

To the radial flange 3! is secured in any ccnvenient way a-ri'm member ob. This rim 41 has spaced openings 49. there beingone opening for each ofseveral flyweights 5i, one of these weights being shown in perspectivein Fig. 3. v Press-fitted in each weight and extending therethrough is-a pin 53, the weight being located between a pin shoulder 55 and the rounded pin end 51 which is located in the rim opening 49. On the faces-of the weights adjacent the flange 1| are spaced pads 59, these pads being near the radially outer parts of the weights. On the same faces adjacent the radially inner regions are spaced hooks 6|. An annular metal resilient .member it lies against pads 59 and within the 25 hooks ii. The spacing of the pads and hooks permits a circumferential bending of the annulus therebetween. I y

The inner rounded ends H of pins 58 are received in openings 65 in a sleeve 51. This sleeve so u is moimted to slide axially about the hollow input shaft 27. The sleeve l1 surrounds an intermediate sleeve 88. Sleeve 89 has a plurality of camslots'll. Ifsieevesi'l and as be plaeedin such a position of relativerotation that the rounded ends Ii may be p through 0 BI and into slots is the hooks may then be so positioned relative to the inner part of spring as I that upon a subsequent relative rotation of the sleeves the walls of the cam slots will force the 0 ends H outwardly and cause the hooks CI to engage the spring. when so rotated the sleeves are secured from relative rotation and from relative-axial movement. A ring clip II is placed inpositionon sleeve 61 and a pin Ii is entered into an opening in sleeve is to prevent relative rotation. A spring clip device I9 is snapped into a circular groove of sleeve 89 and engages the end of sleeve 67 to hold sleeve 81 from movement axially of sleeve 69. The sleeve 61 has a ring or 5 rock under the influence of centrifugal force to the dotted line position they do so about a center substantially above the spring 83 and against the resistance of the spring-63 which is deflected to aOnical form. When the weights so rock,

the pins II are carried with them, moving radi-- ally in opening 48, the sleeve 8! slides toward the rim 4! as shown by dottedlines. vThere is but a minimum clearance between the" spring and the rim 41. This serves to center the assembly,

which function is also obtained by the spline ac- .tion of the pins and the friction between the weights and springs.

The invention may be embodied in other forms.

Fig. 4 shows one such form. In this figure, 21 is the driving shaft with its flange "32 and the barrel member 33 with its flange 3| are like the corresponding parts of Fig. 1. At I'll is a modifled form of the rim ll of Fig. 1. It pivots directly the flyweights IN by means of a socket Oi engaging a rounded part of the rim Ill. At. It is a rigid pin secured to and extending from the flyweight and engaging a sliding sleeve 95 which functions to operate a lever, not shown, as in Fig. l. The spring engages pads 59 and hooks CI formed on the fLvwheel, these parts 59 and ti being substantially as shown by Fig. 3. 'The operation is like that of the form previously described except that the center of movement of.

the flyweight is about the definitely located ful crum II. In this case the limit of flywheel movement may be a stop 92.

. In Fig. 5 the driving member for the driving race is represented by numeral U as before and numeral 21 is the tubular input shaft. Slidable axially of the input shaft is sleeve 91. At Iii is the'flyweight. It is socketed in-an opening 99 in the driving member. The disc spring I 63 in this case is in engagement with surfaces of the flywcight as at ill and is also engaged with the sleeve .1 as at mm reciprocate the same to make driving ratio changes. The spring I83 has a slot as at ill the upper margin of the slot being engaged by the hooks on the weights as shown by the drawing. When the flyweights rock, as shown by dotted lines, the spring is deflected and its portion engaging the sleeve slidesthe latter as willbe understood.- ,The driving member is shown as a stopforfth'e weight in its extreme dotted line position. ,In Fig.- 6 the sleeve I!" is ensaged-by a rigid-end I" of a;fl'yweight "L: The driving member 21 serves'to'operate' the equlvalentof theraces an'd rollers as in Fig.

butguided in a 510$ 111 8, part I rigid with thedrivingmember.' @The reaction on-part I iiis taken by the spring 281 which is anchored as -at Ill and is engaged by the-hooks of the fly-- weight as before.

the, weights areduplicates whereby the cost is reduced materially. 'Ihehooking. of the flyweights to the spring forms a pivoting-axis without pivotv pins. The absence of highly loaded pivot pins result in greatly reduced friction. The

whole device" a rugged assem y. h

spring serves to act as an equalizer among the several flyweights. In thepreferred embodiment the spring acts asa .flyweight retainer except at maximum speed. It is believed that a spring with its known characteristics of a nonuniform rate makes possible unequal rates of shift for progressive movements-of the weights.

I claim: 1. In .a governor, a resilient annulus, flyweights operatively connected to the inner periphery of said annulus and mountedto move under the influence of centrifugal force and thereby to move said inner periphery, means to restrain the outer periphery of said. annulus from movement to an extent commensurate with the movement'imparted tothe inner periphery by said flyweights. 1 v 1 2. In a governor, a resilient annulus, a plurality of flyweights arranged'in circular formation, each flyweight being, operably' connected to the inner periphery of said annulus and'mounted to-move under theinfluence of centrifugal force and thereby to move said inner periphery, means torestrain the outer periphery of said annulus from movement to an extent commensurate with the movement imparted to the inner periphery by Said flyweights.

3. In a governor,- a resilient annulus, a rimannulus, a pin extending freely through each weight, the outer end of each pin located in an aperture of said rim, means engaged by the.innernulus being positioned with its outer periphery ,5. The invention defined by claim 3, the opj erative engagement between the annulus and weights including a hook formation'on said weights. 6., The invention deflned by claim 3, said last named-meanscomprising an outer ring having apertures to receive the inner ends of said pins vg and aninnerconcentric ring provided with cam grooves, whereby relative rotation of said rings.

.function as described to facilitate the bly" 'of' said annulus and weights. v l. The flyweight' in this case is loosely received j 7. In a governor, a: plurality of centrifugal weights, abutment means for said weights, yielding means operably engaging said weights to re sist their motion, said yielding means also'operable to equalize the movements of said weights, said yielding meansbeing' a spring'annulus and the weights engaging said annulus along. its inner periphery and 'rnountedto move under the influence of centrifugal forcegand thereby to move said inner periphery, means torestrain the outerperiphery of said annulus from movement to an extent commensurate with til movement imparted to the. a w g inner periphery by 8. In a governor, weights, a spring annulus, a fixed centritugally operated pivot anchorage for said weights, said weights operably connected to 5 radial arms carried the inner periphery of said annulus, by said weights and axially slidable means 'operably connected to said arms.

9. In a governor, ment meansto engage weights, a sliding 10 contact with said weights and with said sleeve at its inner annulus provided with slots and said en agi the walls of said slots.

a plurality oi weights, abutthe outer region of said sleeve, a yieldable annulus in at its outer periphery periphery, said weights l0. Ina governor, a rotatable driving member, iivweights, a slidable sleeve, said weights operabl'yconnected to said sleeve and mounted to move under a yielding annulus anchored at its outer periphery to said driving member and engaged at its inner periphery by said weights.

11. The invention definedby claim 10, said the influence oi centrifugal force,

driving member being slotted to receive and guide said weights.

JOHN O. m. 

